My Account Wish List Shopping Cart Log In
Store Location

Nature Study

Between global warming, holes in the ozone, and the pollution of our seas and rivers, maybe it is best to keep kids indoors and pacified in front of the television....but probably not. If these aren't real threats then there's nothing to protect our children (or ourselves) from, and if they are real threats—all the more reason to instill a love of nature in the younger generations.

Kids have an inclination toward exploration and learning. Allowing them to do so encourages not only active bodies and active minds, it fosters a healthy imagination and love of beauty. Charlotte Mason understood this over a century ago, and developed a system of education in which nature study played a prominent role. It is in nature, more than in the classroom or the rec room or even the library, that children best learn by observation, and this habit once formed will never disappear.

The often-referenced "childlike wonder" inherent in all of us from a young age (though modern society seems to be stamping it out quicker and more efficiently) isn't just some esoteric feeling of awe. It's literal wonder—kids wonder how birds fly, why their pet dog's fur falls out in summer, where ants go in the winter, why it gets colder and harder to breathe the higher you get. The less contact they have with the natural world, the less wonder they'll have; but the reverse is also true, and kids allowed to roam and explore the outdoors will develop a sense of inquisitiveness that can only help them in the so-called "real world."

Preparation for the Real World of modern myth often takes on peculiar guises. Children are snatched from the fields and streams and placed in front of computer screens or television sets. They are crowded into classrooms and made to feel good about the fact that they are learning nothing at the same rate as everyone around them. They are given plastic toys with supposed educational properties and made to "play" with them under close adult supervision.

Meanwhile, the real real world waits outside the walls and doors and windows with its fresh smells, its colors brighter and more unique than anything on HDTV or Blu-Ray, its real wind, and its endless mysteries. If you don't like answering questions, don't want your kids to grow or exercise, prefer fat and lazy to fit and intelligent offspring, by all means somberly prepare them for a life without questions, and consequently without answers. If you want children who will grown into thoughtful adults with a sense of the loveliness of Earth and their place in it, keeping them inside is possibly the most dangerous choice you can make on their behalf.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
Did you find this review helpful?
Parent Categories
Nature Study
Subcategories
54 Items found Print
Filter
Active Filters: Science Picture Books, Hardcover
Ancient Ones
by Barbara Bash
from Sierra Club Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Animal School: What Class are You?
by Michelle Lord, illustrated by Michael Garland
from Holiday House
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Baby Whale Sharp Ears
by John Y. Beaty, illustrated by Helene Carter
from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for 2nd-5th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$80.00 (1 in stock)
Baby's Book of Animals
by Roger Priddy
from DK Publishing
for Nursery-1st grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Beak Book
by Robin Page
from Beach Lane Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$18.99
Beetle Is Shy
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Biography of a Rhino
by Alice L. Hopf; illustrated by Kiyo Komoda
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$44.00 (1 in stock)
Butterflies and Moths
Golden Library of Knowledge
by Richard A. Martin
from Golden Press
for 1st-5th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Butterfly Is Patient
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Butterfly Is Patient
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$7.99
Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Birds
by Jim Arnosky
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-6th grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
Crinkleroot's Guide to Knowing the Trees
by Jim Arnosky
from Simon and Schuster
for 4th-6th grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
Dinosaurs by Design
by Duane Gish
from Master Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$14.39
Dinosaurs for Kids
by Ken Ham
from Master Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$13.59
Dinosaurs of Eden
by Ken Ham
2nd edition from Master Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$13.59
Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins
by Barbara Kerley
from Scholastic Inc.
for Preschool-3rd Grade
2002 Caldecott Honor Book, NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$19.99
Disguises and Surprises
Supersmarts
by Claire Llewellyn
from Candlewick Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Dragons
by Bill Looney
from Master Books
for 4th-6th grades
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$15.99
Dry Bones and Other Fossils
by Gary & Mary Parker
2nd edition from Master Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$11.19 $6.50 (3 in stock)
Egg Is Quiet
by Dianna Hutts Aston
Library Binding from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Exotic Invaders
by Jeanne M. Lesinski
from Walker Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Extraordinary Life
by Laurence Pringle, illustrated by Bob Marstall
from Orchard Books
for 2nd-6th grade
1998 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Insects & Arachnids (Location: SCI-BUG)
Fall Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Forest
Our Changing World
by David Bellamy, illustrated by Jill Dow
from Clarkson Potter Publishers
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Forests & Mountains (Location: SCI-FOREST)
Giraffe: A Living Tower
by Christine and Michel Denis-Huot
from Reader's Digest Young Families
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Great Animal Search
by Caroline Young
from Usborne
for 3rd-7th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$6.30 (1 in stock)
Great Kapok Tree
by Lynne Cherry
from Harcourt Children's Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
Introduction to Wild Flowers
by John Kieran, illustrated by Tabea Hofmann
1st edition from Doubleday & Company
for 1st-4th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Lifesize
from Kane Miller
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Living Fossils
by Caroline Arnold, illustrated by Andrew Plant
from Charlesbridge
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Look to the North
by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Lucia Washburn
from HarperCollins
for Nursery-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Lucky Porcupine
by Miriam Schlein, illustrated by Martha Weston
from Four Winds Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Nest Full of Eggs
by Priscilla Belz Jenkins
from HarperCollins
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Birds (Location: SCI-BIRD)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Nest Is Noisy
by Dianna Hutts Aston
from Chronicle Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Noah's Ark and the Ararat Adventure
by John D. Morris
from Master Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Worldview & Apologetics for Kids (Location: BIBWV-APK)
Now I Know All About Seeds
by Susan Kuchalla, illustrated by Jane McBee
from Troll Associates
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Prairie Dog Town
Smithsonian Wild Heritage Collection
by Bettye Rogers, illustrated by Deborah Howland
from Trudy Corporation
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
River Ran Wild
by Lynne Cherry
from Harcourt
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in River, Pond & Swamp (Location: SCI-ECO)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Rock is Lively
by Dianna Hutts Aston
First Edition from Chronicle Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Sally's Caterpillar
by Anne and Harlow Rockwell
from Parents Magazine Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
Seed Is Sleepy
by Dianna Hutts Aston, Sylvia Long
1st edition from Chronicle Books
for 2nd-6th grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Shine-A-Light: Secrets of Animal Camouflage
Shine-A-Light
by Carron Brown and Illustrated by Wesley Robins
from Kane Miller
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Shine-A-Light: Secrets of the Apple Tree
Shine-A-Light
by Carron Brown and Illustrated by Alyssa Nassner
from Kane Miller
for Kindergarten-4th grade
in Botany & Mycology (Location: SCI-BOT)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Shine-A-Light: Secrets of the Seashore
Shine-A-Light
by Carron Brown & Alyssa Nassner
from Kane Miller
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Seashore & Tidepools (Location: SCI-ECO)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Song of the Water Boatman & Other Pond Poems
by Joyce Sidman
from HMH Books for Young Readers
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
2006 Caldecott Honor Book
in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL)
Spring Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Summer Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
$16.99
Teddy Roosevelt's Elk
from Henry Holt and Company
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Mammals (Location: SCI-MAM)
To the Top of the World
by Jim Brandenburg
from Walker and Company
for 5th-9th grade
1994 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in Arctic & Tundra (Location: SCI-ECO)
Toad Overload
by Patricia Seibert, illustrated by Jan Davey Ellis
from Millbrook Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Ecology (Location: SCI-ECO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs?
by John Morris & Ken Ham
from Master Books
for Preschool-1st grade
in Dinosaurs & Fossils (Location: SCI-DINO)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Wild and Swampy
by Jim Arnosky
from HarperCollins
for 1st-5th grade
2001 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
in River, Pond & Swamp (Location: SCI-ECO)
Winter Walk
by Virginia Brimhall Snow
from Gibbs M. Smith
for Preschool-3rd grade
in Nature Study (Location: NAT-GEN)
Wonder of Animals
by Kathleen N. Daly, illustrated by Tim and Greg Hildebrandt
from Golden Press
for 1st-3rd grade
in Zoology (Location: SCI-ZOOL)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Sign Up!

Shop

Support

Hours & Directions

Learn more about our store location and hours

Connect

503.655.1951

hello@exodusbooks.com

19146 Molalla Ave,
Oregon City, OR 97045